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Is it appropriate to use 'the'?

Dear teachers,

The following sentence is what I read in a magazine, where the writer was expressing his opinion. I was questioning whether it was appropriate to had used 'the' rather than 'a'. I would like to have your opinions. Thank you!

-The average English speaker isn't nearly as familar with the rules of English as the typical ESL student.

Re: Is it appropriate to use 'the'?

Originally Posted by fivejedjon

'The' is correct and natural here. The speaker is taking one person as a generalisation of the whole class.

I thought 'a' was used to represent the idea of generalization(?). For example, a bird can fly, what I understand is that we are not refering to some definite, specific bird that can fly, but all birds can fly.

If I use 'an average English speaker isn't nearly as familar with...', then it will mean 'all English speakers...'(?).-----------Hmmm, then it seems that it was not the idea the writer was trying to convey. I'm confused. Please tell me more. Thanks!